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Rumors III: Red Wings, Capitals, and Expansion

On the Detroit Red Wings …

Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings won’t have a lot of salary cap space, $500,000, heading towards the trade deadline day. If they are going to bring in someone, they would likely have to ship someone out.The Red Wings don’t have the same trade urgency as they’ve had in the past. Alexey Marchenko has played well, and they have some organizational depth on the blueline.

The Red Wings do like Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, but it may be hard to fit in his $5.2 million salary this year, and they’d want to be certain that he’d re-sign with them.

On the Washington Capitals …

Chuck Gormley of CSN Mid Atlantic: (mailbag) Gormley thinks the Capitals will make a trade before the deadline, and will likely be looking to add a veteran defenseman. Part of the reason they will look for a Dman is due to Brooks Orpik’s health. Orpik has missed the past 33 games with a lower-body injury.Gormley thinks they could look at Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who played under Barry Trotz in Nashville for six-years. Hamhuis is expected to return to the Canucks lineup in the next week or two. The Canucks are only five points out of a playoff spot, and he does have a no-movement clause. Hamhuis is a pending UFA and carries a $4.5 million cap hit.

Hamhuis might cost the Capitals a first round pick and a prospect or a roster player like Stanislav Galiev.

On expansion …

Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Gary Bettman said the NHL Board of Governors are not ready to make a decision on expansion applicants – Quebec City and Las Vegas.

“The executive committee, which is the group of owners charged with making the study and going through the process and ultimately making a recommendation to the Board of Governors, met two weeks ago,” Commissioner Bettman said. “The process is continuing, and we’re not ready to make a recommendation. That is something that will be done over the next few months, and that recommendation can be no expansion, one team or two teams. So the process is ongoing, but I don’t have a firm date for you.”

Three-quarters of the NHL owners would need to approve expansion.

“I’ve always said the earliest we would expand is ’17-18 and whatever we do the clubs need at least a full year,” Commissioner Bettman said. “As long as there is at least a year lead time, we could make ’17-18, but if we don’t make ’17-18 we don’t make ’17-18.”